Post by bran_sinnach on Aug 6, 2006 1:01:07 GMT -5
Ive noticed that, quite often, the Morrigan is viewed as dark, dangerous, and more often than not to be avoided. I would like to here, with the blessings of the moderators of course, like to educate others a bit more about my goddess. My personal path in life is Druidism and I have been dedicated completely to this path for the last five years of my life, but for the last three of these I have served under the goddess Morrigan. For starters I would like to address the opinion of a pro-Morrigan Wiccan girl who felt the goddess was misunderstood and wrongly seen as a war goddess. On this, she was both right, and completely wrong. The Morrigan is often misunderstood, yes, but that stems more from her typically being cast in the role as 'evil', 'blood-thirsty', or just an over all nasty deity. While yes, the Morrigan is admittedly dark, and even dangerous at times, she is far from the image most have conjured in their minds. On this note, the girl was correct. However, on being misrepresented as a war goddess, Im afraid the poor girl is off by a mile. Is the Morrigan a goddess of death? Yes. Is she a goddess of war? Definitely. Is she a goddess of change, or what some would call 'chaos'? Of course. These things do not, however, make her evil or negative, only dark. We need these things as much as we need life, peace, and tranquility. It is all part of a balance, light and dark, and neither side is any better or worse than the other. Without darkness, light would become blinding. Without light, darkness would desolate. As Senbecc listed as a tenet of the Druid faith, the parents of creativity are chaos and order. You can not have creativity without chaos, just as you could not have it without order. Both are equally important in all things, and neither are 'good' or 'evil'. I had been practicing Druidism for two years and had yet to find a patron god or goddess that felt right for me when she came to me in a life altering experience, and at first I was mortified because of the things I had heard of her. But I did as she had asked, and I studied rather than judged, and when I did I found that there was so much more to her than met the eye. Three years ago I made her my patroness and have never regretted my decision once. She helped me through a number of issues I was mulling over at that time, and for that, I can never thank her enough. Without her, I simply would not be the person I am today. Now, while I wouldnt recommend avoiding her or feeling threatened if she comes to you or you feel beckoned to her, I could not agree more with many practitioners that she is not a goddess for beginners, and especially not for dabblers. She has done more things for me in my life, sometimes things even I still have trouble believing when I look back on them, whenever I asked them of her or simply because she saw fit to do so for her own reasons, but she can also be a demanding goddess. To work with her requires a great amount of work, study, and meditation, especially if you plan to become one of her Ravens or Crows (a Raven is a priest, a Crow is a priestess). Not only does she require certain studies and training of you and your complete respect, but she also has a habit of testing her children, though as Senbecc has said I believe all the gods and goddesses do this. Some tests are minor things with little at stake and lesson learned whether you succeed or fail, but especially with the Morrigan some can be incredibly serious or even dangerous tests where failure can have dire results. The Morrigan is not for beginners, nor is she for those who are not willing to face her, the forces she works through, and most of all, themselves. She is my goddess, she is my inspiration, and she will always be one of the most important aspects of my life. *smiles*And now, I am done chattering like an excited squirrel, though I am happy to answer any questions anyone might have.